The Pacific Northwest Center for Translational Environmental Health Research offers pilot project grants to support new and innovative research in environmental health. These grants provide short-term investments to Center members. These funds can be used to collect preliminary research data, access Core facilities and services, and foster collaborative environmental health science. The program seeks to foster collaborative science, increase access to Core facilities and services, and promote relationships with stakeholders. The Center anticipates supporting at least 8 pilot projects each year. Proposal will be reviewed and the most meritorious proposals will be selected from each of the three pilot project award programs.

Application Due Date: March 15th, 2021 (Extended from March 1st) or upon request for time sensitive applications

Eligibility: Pacific Northwest Center for Translational Environmental Health Research Center Members. Click here to learn about becoming a member

The Pacific Northwest Center for Translational Environmental Health Research seeks to stimulate environmental health science research that is aligned with the goals of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The pilot project funds can be used to facilitate the collection of preliminary data that can demonstrate proof of principle, feasibility of study concepts, and/or establish new stakeholder collaborations.

Award Budget: Each application can request up to $20,000 and an additional $5,000 to apply towards Core services. Awardees will receive priority service from the Cores and a 20% discount on Core fees and services. These funds are not designed to be used to pay faculty salaries or institutional overhead. Any request for salary must be clearly justified in the context of the pilot project.

Award Project Period: The maximum project period is 1 year.

Core Usage: Applicants are encouraged to use one or more of the Cores to achieve their research goals. As you prepare your application, you should be in consultation with the Core directors to ensure the viability of your project. Please include a statement in your application that confirms that you have discussed your project with the relevant Core director and that they have approved the feasibility of your project.

Request For Proposals: There are three program announcements. Each program has different requirements. Please read the program requirements carefully to select the appropriate program for your application. If you are unsure which program award program you should apply to for your study, contact Dr Molly Kile. You may also apply for one of these awards on a time-sensitive opportunity.

All awards should:

  • have a clear plan for future actions and funding that will build on the preliminary data to be collected.
  • clearly articulate how the proposed study and future action(s) will advance discovery of how the environment affects human biology and health, and/or can inform prevention and intervention strategies that can improve the health of individuals, communities, and populations.

Budget Form: When you submit your application (Vanguard and Strategic Initiative Awards), you will need the budget form available here.

This is an investigator-initiated program award.

  • Applications for the Vanguard Award must align with NIEHS’s mission and at least one element of their strategic plan.
  • Must demonstrate how the proposed study is advancing methodology or theory, creating a new interdisciplinary collaboration, or testing a new intervention in the real world, or is engaging a community or stakeholder.
  • You will required to complete the following sections the submission form:
    • Specific Aim(s) and hypotheses (≤400 words)
    • Significance and Innovation (≤700 words)
    • Approach (≤1400 words)
    • Statement of how the project will lead to a larger, future grant application (≤250 words)
    • Statement of how the project will advance NIEHS strategic goal(s) (≤250 words)
    • Plan for obtaining Animal welfare/Human Subjects (if needed)
    • Core service needs

Click here to sign up for Judgify and complete the submission form.


This is an investigator-initiated program award that requires the PI to have an established relationship with a stakeholder.

  • Applications for the Strategic Initiative Award must align with NIEHS’s mission and at least one element of their strategic plan.
  • Must demonstrate how the proposed study is a bilateral collaboration between the PI and stakeholder. A letter of support must be provided by the stakeholder that describes how the study and preliminary data that will be collected meet the needs of the stakeholder.
  • You will required to complete the following sections the submission form:
    • Specific Aim(s) and hypotheses (≤400 words)
    • Significance and Innovation (≤700 words)
    • Approach (≤1400 words)
    • Statement of how the project will lead to a larger, future grant application (≤250 words)
    • Statement of how the project will advance NIEHS strategic goal(s) (≤250 words)
    • Plan for obtaining Animal welfare/Human Subjects (if needed)
    • Core service needs
    • Letters of Support from Stakeholder(s) detailing:
      • How the stakeholder will collaborate with the Center researcher on the project
      • How the project is addressing the stakeholders environmental health science need and how the stakeholder intends to utilize the information generated by the project

Click here to sign up for Judgify and complete the submission form.


This program will support new or mid-career investigators who are nominated by their department chairs and/or Center Directors.

  • Nominees must be a new or mid-career investigator (as defined by NIH).
  • Nominees must be a Center member and/or agree to become a Center member
  • Nominees must be able to contribute to interdisciplinary approaches and/or be able to advance environmental health science research
  • Nominees must have scientific interests that align with NIEHS’s mission and at least one element of their strategic plan
  • You will required to complete the following sections the submission form:
    • Statement from the nominee describing how they will contribute to the Pacific Northwest Center for Translational Environmental Health Research (≤800 words). This statement should include:
      • The nominee’s environmental health science research interest and expertise; and how these align with NIEHS’s strategic plan
      • The nominee’s ability to contribute to the Center’s environmental health science expertise
      • The nominee’s interest in partaking in Center-sponsored activities
    • Current biosketch

Click here to sign up for Judgify and complete the submission form.

Click here to sign up for Judgify and complete the submission form.


Pilot program priorities: Applications that have a high potential to drive innovation and environmental health science research translation will be prioritized in the review process. Innovation is defined using the following prism: i) projects that display creative environmental health science problem solving through the adoption of interdisciplinary scientific thinking, ii) incorporating emerging technology, methods, or data, and/or iii) tackle emerging environmental health science issues. Since the Center highly values research translation, pilot projects will also be prioritized that articulate how their project fits within the NIEHS research translation framework and can ultimately influence changes in environmental exposures, population health, clinical practice, or economic advancements.

Expectations for awardees:

In addition to completing their pilot project studies, award recipients will be expected to:

  • Undergo an on-boarding session that will explain their roles and responsibilities as an NIEHS P30 Center funded PI.
  • Complete the Center’s Project Execution Plan and Discovery Index and/or Stakeholder Engagement Plan.
  • Provide an oral interim progress report after 6 months
  • Submit a 500 word progress report after 12 months that will be included in the Center’s formal NIEHS annual report
  • Complete an annual electronic survey for 5 consecutive years to track outcomes from the pilot project